Dispute Between Broadcom and Qualcomm Provides Window Into World of Big IP Fees
If you ever wanted to know how big-name clients negotiate with big-name law firms about work on massive patent lawsuits, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr has given us all an instructive look. The Boston-based firm has filed an extensive motion in federal court detailing its $8.5 million-plus price tag for work on behalf of Broadcom Corp. in a nasty patent dispute with rival Qualcomm Inc. Some of the highlights include an $850-an-hour rate from the top Boston-based partner assigned to the case.
3rd Circuit to Hear CBS' Appeal Over Indecency Fine for Janet Jackson's Super Bowl Stunt
Three-and-a-half years after a Super Bowl halftime stunt gave America a split-second view of Janet Jackson's right breast, the regulatory and legal fight over the FCC's record indecency fine has arrived at the 3rd Circuit, and a lot more is at stake than the $550,000 that CBS had to pony up before appealing the commission's sanction. Both broadcasters and media decency watchdog organizations see the case as one of the first chances in years to challenge the FCC's efforts to sanction broadcasters.
Five-Lawyer Boutique Is Calif. Governor's Go-To Firm
Mennemeier, Glassman & Stroud is a five-lawyer litigation boutique in the California capital with a high-powered client list and a low public profile. The three name partners have developed a niche handling matters for private companies and public agencies that the big-name firms can't or won't take on. And since 2005, Mennemeier Glassman has become something of a go-to law firm for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in cases where he has a conflict with his usual counsel, the attorney general's office.
Digital Dialogue Revs Up at Top Firms
The 12th AmLaw Tech Survey finds it's collaboration time at top law firms. With IT spending up 16 percent, Am Law 200 firms are ratcheting up their use of online collaboration tools, letting more lawyers go mobile with wireless devices and increasingly relying on VoIP.
SEC Stumbles on Privilege Waivers
More than ever, the Securities and Exchange Commission is dependent on companies cooperating with probes by conducting internal investigations -- and waiving attorney-client privilege to disclose the results. Yet intense criticism of the practice has reached Capitol Hill, where pending legislation would prohibit the SEC from rewarding companies that turn over privileged material. It's hard these days for the SEC to tread lightly because so much of its caseload involves probes of stock option grants.
Out-of-Town Firms Import Talent to Boost N.Y. Efforts
Law firms eager to expand in New York have long bemoaned the fiercely competitive local market for lateral partners. Now out-of-town firms are increasingly trying to make it in New York with out-of-town talent. This week, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges is moving leading constitutional law scholar Kathleen M. Sullivan to its New York office. The relocation of rainmakers is a bold gambit that could disrupt healthy practices in the hope that these lawyers can leverage their reputations in New York.
Lawyer and Two Judges He Bribed Are Sentenced to Prison
A prominent attorney and the two Mississippi judges he bribed for favorable rulings were sentenced Friday to several years each in federal prison. Paul Minor, a once highly regarded attorney who amassed a fortune from asbestos, tobacco, medical malpractice and car safety cases, was also fined $2.7 million and must pay restitution. Minor and his co-defendants, former Judges Wes Teel and John Whitfield, will appeal their convictions, according to Minor's lawyer, Abbe Lowell.
Comcast Loses on Appeal in Fees Case
An 11th Circuit panel has ruled in favor of Comcast's Georgia cable subscribers, who say the company is overcharging them. Though the federal appellate ruling didn't touch on that allegation's merits, it went a long way toward helping subscribers clear a high hurdle in the matter, deciding that their arbitration agreements with Comcast are unenforceable in this case. The ruling touches on an issue important to many companies: arbitration agreements containing class action waivers.
Latham Restocks Key Moscow Arm With LeBoeuf Partner
Latham & Watkins has moved swiftly to rebuild its Moscow practice with the hire of respected LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae capital markets partner Mark Banovich. Banovich, who had been with LeBoeuf since 1995, becomes Latham's sole Moscow-based partner, following the departure of previous Moscow managing partner Anya Goldin. Restocking its Moscow arm is an important move for Latham given the recent flow of big-ticket deals from Russian corporations and the current strength of the country's energy markets.
Duane Morris First-Years 'Likely' to Make $145,000
While an official decision hasn't been made, Duane Morris Chairman Sheldon Bonovitz says an increase in associate salaries in January is "likely." The firm bumped up first-year associate pay to $135,000 this year, and Bonovitz says that could go to $145,000 in January when the firm makes annual salary adjustments. "We're going to be competitive in the marketplace," he says. A going rate of $145,000 is toward the higher end of the Philadelphia market as of this month, when several firms move to that mark.
Mayer Brown Hits Sao Paulo With Clifford Chance Veteran
Mayer Brown has opened a new office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after hiring Clifford Chance local head Stephen Hood, the Chicago-based law firm announced last week. Mayer Brown, which already has a Latin American group numbering around 40 lawyers, hopes to build the practice to around a dozen fee earners over the next 18 months.
Will Michael Chertoff Be the Next Attorney General?
Lawyers had wildly different responses when asked about the prospect of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff replacing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. While some said Chertoff is the clear front-runner for the nod due to his impressive resume and his close ties to Bush, others said they would be shocked by the pick if only because Chertoff faces a torturous confirmation battle that could focus on the government's bungled response to Hurricane Katrina and his role in drafting the Patriot Act.
Weil Ups Asia Stakes With Hong Kong Debut
Weil Gotshal & Manges is to launch in Hong Kong after transferring a five-lawyer team from its Manhattan and Shanghai offices, the U.S. law firm announced Wednesday. The firm has also applied for a license to open an office in Beijing and has earmarked India and Japan as future targets
Are Plaintiffs Attorneys Becoming Targets?
When attorney Geoffrey Fieger was recently indicted on campaign finance charges, he became the fourth high-profile plaintiffs attorney to face federal criminal charges in the past 14 months. The pattern of charges has many well-known trial attorneys alleging that the federal government is targeting them. Mike Papantonio, a trial attorney in Florida, believes the indictments are part of "a design to dismantle the plaintiffs bar," but that's a claim the Justice Department adamantly denies.
How Should a Federal Appellate Court Decide Whether an Appeal Should Be Orally Argued?
The crush of a burdensome caseload has made oral argument a scarce commodity in many federal appellate courts, writes Howard J. Bashman. In this commentary, the appellate litigator examines the systems used by the courts to decide whether an appeal should be argued. He concludes that at least two of the circuits use nonsensical methods that risk wasting court resources.
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